Auxiliary frame for typewriters



Dec. 5, 1950 H. c. YAEGER AUXILIARY FRAME FOR TYPEWRITERS Filed Dec. 5, 1947 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 5, 1950 AUXILIARY FRAME FOR TYPEWRITERS Harry G. Yaeger, West Hartford, 001111., assignor to Underwood Corporation, New York, N. Y., a

corporation of Delaware Application December 5, 1947, Serial No. 789,895

Claims. (01. 197-426) Typewriters of this kind, as shown for examplein the Wernery et a1. Patent 1,132,055 and Smith Patent 1,177,546, include an auxiliary carriage or carbon truck rearward of the platen carriage for supplying a number of carbon strips in interleaved relation to the continuous strip of manifold forms extending around the typewriter platen. To allow advance of the carbons incident to line-feeding of the form strip in typin and to afford successive replacements of the carbon transfer panels, the carbon carriage is arranged on a trackway frame to travel foreand-aft at the rear of the typewriter. The carbon carriage also travels laterally with the typewriter carriage, for which purpose the trackway frame has its forward end connected to the type writer carriage and its rearward portion rides along a way-rod or rail. To support this way-rod at a substantially rearward position and in alignment with the typewriter carriage trackways, it is usual to provide an auxiliary frame or brackets connected to the typewriter mainframe having foot support on the desk.

The present invention is directed to improvements in this auxiliary trackway support, having as some of its objects to provide a bracket frame capable of more economic fabrication, conveniently attachable to the conventional typewriter and affording a high degree of rigidity in a simple unitary structure.

Another object is to provide a manifolding machine way-rod support presenting an open rectangular framework in which diagonal bracing against lateral deflection and an intermediate leg-like member for resting the frame on the desk top are afforded by a single structural element of the unitary framework.

In a more specific aspect, the invention concerns the fabrication of the auxiliary bracket by casting, an object being to provide a complete, one-piece bracket structure, the component elements of which present a substantially planar relation to each other and thus facilitate making the one-piece bracket by foundry or other casting methods. 7

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein two embodiments which the invention may assume in practice are shown for the purposes of illustration.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a typical manifolding typewriter, partly broken away, embodying the carbon-carriage bracket unit of the invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the complete bracket unit with the way-rod or rail and the typewriter feet installed thereon, in readiness for assembling to the typewriter unit,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1, and showing a modification of the bracket unit by the attachment thereto of a supplemental foot unit, and,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the supplemental foot unit of Figure 3.

In that manifolding machines such as the Underwood Fanfold typewriter are well known, a brief description thereof will suffice to illustrate the use and advantages of the present invention. Referring to Figure l, the typewriter unit 5 includes a platen carriage 8 arranged for travel on guideways I and 8. The platen it, around which the manifold form strip is linefed, is adapted to be raised from its normal or typing position to an elevated position where it provides a free path for pulling the form strip forward and for retracting the interleaved carbons from the typed form to the succeeding form. After restoring the platen, the typed form with its duplicates is severed from the strip, and the succeeding form, with the retracted carbons interleaved therewith, is in position for typing. The carbon strips are of a length ample to provide a number of panels the size of the bill or other form, and when the transfer medium of the presently used carbons is exhausted, that panel of carbons is severed from the carbon strip together with the typed form. In that event the carbon strips are not retracted but remain in the same relation to the manifold strip, so that as'the new form of the strip is advanced to typin position at the platen, a new set of carbon panels at the now leading end of the carbon strips is advanced with it.

The carbon strips are each held at their trailing portions on a carbon truck orcarrier II, which may be of either of the kinds shown in the aforesaid Wernery et a1. patent or the Rubidge Patent 1,896,465. To accommodate the fore-and-aft movements of the carbon strips incident to the typing and other operations afore described, the carbon carrier H is mounted on trackways l2 supported on a platform 13. At its forward end, platform I3 is connected to the platen carriage 8, to cause the carbons to travel laterally during the letter-feed and return movements of the carriage, the rearward portion of the platform being supported for travel by rollers It on the platform riding on a wayrod or rail i5, all in the well-known manner. Rai1 I5 is preferably overhung from its supporting bracket to accommodate C-shaped members ii on the platform engaging the underside of the rail to keep the platform from tilting upwardly. Lugs i8 secured to the rail are screwed to posts l9 on the bracket as shown, provide the overhung support for the rail.-

As afore indicated, the invention is directed to an improved way-rod supporting bracket and the association thereof with the typewriter unit, now to be-described.

The improved bracket as shown, generally indicated at 28, is preferably fabricated as a onepiece casting, although other well-known methods of manufacture such as stamping and die-forming or welding of preformed metal sections may be employed, it being apparent as the detailed description proceeds that the structure of the bracket is such as to be susceptible of various modes of manufacture.

As shown more clearly in Figure 2, the bracket frame 29 is a generally-rectangular open framework compri ng mainly two elongate side members El and 22, two cross members 23 and 2 and an intermediate three-legged member 25. Attachment of the bracket 28 to the typewriter unit 5 without requiring any changes to the typewriter mainframe is afforded by having the two side members 2!, 22 each project forwardly as at 26 under the opposite sides of the typewriter to receive and be attached to the latter at the four points at which the feet are usually attached when a typewriter for conventional use, without the manifolding and continuous form features, is assembled. As shown in Figure l, the typewriter mainframe provides four bosses 2? each having tappedholes where the usual typewriter feet are attached, and the projecting members fieof the bracket frame have similarly located bosses 2B for receiving the four typewriter feet 36*. The mainframe bosses rest on the top of members as an the foot-attaching screws extend through holes in the frame to engage the tapped holes in the typewriter mainframe. The frame members 2-3 may be channel-shaped in cross section for lightness, with the channel flanges projecting downwardly, the channel section terminating at the rear bosses 23 where members 25 join the cross member 23 and side members 2!, 2.2 of the framework.

From their juncture with. members 26, the two side members if, 22 are inclined upwardly in parallelism, to the rearward, elevated location of the 'two posts ii? at which the wayrod i5 attached to the bracket frame. member if, is preferably of angle cross wit. its depending flange at the outside where it blends into the outer flange of member 26. The lower cross member 23 joins the side members 2!, 22 at about the low part of the side members, and cross member 2 3 extends between the side menu bers at about the upper ends thereof where the posts 59 are provided. Each cross member 2% may be of uniform sectional thickness and is 4 preferably curved or arcuate in cross section for stiffness, as evident in Figure 1.

The intermediate member 25 serves in two ways; that is, it provides a diagonal bracing against twisting and lateral deflection of the rectangular frame 21-261 and also affords a leglike support for the bracket frame to permit the rearwardly extending overhanging portion thereof to be partially supported on the desk top. As shown best in Figure 2 the intermediate member 25 has a channel-shaped portion 3| extending downwardly from its juncture with the cross member 24 and having at its lower extremity a boss 32 for receiving a foot 33 similar to the typewriter feet 383 and arranged at a level therewith. Thus, the five supporting feet 3Q, 33 of the entire machine all rest evenly on the typewriter desk or on a supporting subframe with which machines of this type are sometimes equipped. From the foot-receiving boss 32, the intermediate member 25 has two angle-shaped elements diverging from each other and joining the lower cross member 23 adjacent the two lower corners of the rectangular frame Zi -24. The depending flanges of the angular section of members 3 may extend under and terminate at the cross member 23, meeting the downward curvature thereof. The member 25 is reinforced at the juncture or apex of its three elements 3f, 34 by two gussetlike flanges 35 arranged as shown clearly in Figure 2.

It will be seen'that the elements of the intermediate member 25 cooperating with the other framemembers effect a substantially rigid bras-- ing for the composite bracket frame. When the typewriter carriage 6 is at either extremity of its range of travel, the carbon carrier H and platform l3, which also assume a corresponding extreme position, concentrate their weight to one side of the bracket frame 23 and thus tend to distort the same. This effect is had to an added degree when the typewriter is being banked at either marginal limit orafter a tabulating run. The weight of the typewriter resting on, and being fastened to, the two frame members 255 affords a substantiafly secure anchorage for the bracket frame. The bracing members 3% extending diagonally from this anchorage, acting through the medium of the upright channel member 35 and augmented by the frame-supporting foot 3-3, resist lateral deflection and twisting of the rectangular frame? i2 5 to rigidly hold the way-rod i5 at a constant level and in ali nment with the typewriter carriage guideways "I; 8.

Reference is now had to Figures 3 and 4 illustrating a modification of the bracket unit by the addition thereto of a supplemental cross bar or adapter 3i which affords a broader'foot-support-for the bracket frame, particularly in instances where a relatively wide typewriter carriage is required. The adapter 37 is interchangeable with the single foot 33 and may be substituted therefor by removing the foot 33 and'installing the adapter-in its place; A screw 38 threaded into the tapped hole for holding the foot secures the adapter-2 to the frame, a pin 39 on the adapter projecting into an aperture in frame 2% to keepthe adapter from rotating. from-its crossways position.

The adapter or bar 3'! is preferably flanged along each-longitudinal edge for stiffness, and has its forward area 4? depressed or recessed a certain a-mountbelow the remaining area M of the bar. The-two feet forming part of the adapter unit are preferably of the same construction as the typewriter feet 30 and the frame-foot 33, and are secured at each end of the bar 31 as shown in Figure 4. By recessing the plate 3! at the area 40 where it is attached to the bracket frame 20, to a degree equal to the thickness of the plate, the face against which the two feet are attached is at the same level as the face of boss 32 at which the replaced foot 33 was attached, and therefore no change in the height of the bracket is effected by interchanging one foot support for the other.

What is claimed is:

1. An auxiliary frame for supporting a carboncarrier unit of a manifolding typewriter, said frame comprising a generally rectangular open framework having means for attachment at its forward portion to a low region of the typewriter, said framework defining a plane extending upwardly and rearwardly from the means of attachment to the typewriter, to engage an element of the carbon-carrier unit at an elevated position rearwardly spaced from the typewriter, said auxiliary frame further comprising bracing members disposed diagonally of the open framework to brace it against lateral deflection, and said bracing members meeting at an apex laterally midway of the framework and including an element at said apex for receiving foot means adapted to rest on a desk or like typewriter support.

2. An auxiliary frame for supporting a. carboncarrier unit of a manifolding typewriter, said frame comprising a framework having means for attachment at its forward portion to a low region of the typewriter, said framework having two spaced side members extending upwardly and rearwardly from the means of attachment to the typewriter, to engage an element of the carboncarrier unit at an elevated position rearwardly spaced from the typewriter, said auxiliar frame further comprising two diagonal bracing members reaching horizontally respectively from the side members adjacent the means of attach-ment and meeting at an apex laterally midway of the framework, elements connecting the apex of said bracing members to the rearward end portions of said framework side members, and said bracing member apex providing foot means adapted to rest on a desk or like typewriter support.

3. An auxiliary frame for supporting a carboncarrier unit of a manifolding typewriter, said frame comprising a framework having means for attachment at its forward portion to a low region of the typewriter, said framework having two spaced side members extending upwardly and rearwardly from the means of attachment to the typewriter, to engage an element of the carboncarrier unit at an elevated position rearwardly spaced from the typewriter, and having two cross members connecting respectively the lower and the upper portions of said side members, said auxiliary frame further comprising two diagonal bracing members reaching horizontally respectively from the junctures of the lower cross member with the two side members and meeting at an apex laterally midway of the framework, a third bracing member reaching upwardly from the apex of said two bracing members and joining the upper cross member, and said bracing member apex having foot means adapted to rest on a desk or like typewriter support.

4. An auxiliary frame for supporting a carboncarrier unit of a manifolding typewriter having bottom foot-receiving faces at laterally spaced portions of the typewriter, said frame comprising two side members adapted to extend under the typewriter to engage the foot-receiving faces thereof and having correspondingly arrayed footreceiving faces, said two side members also extending from the typewriter-engageable portions upwardly and rearwardl to engage an element of the carbon-carrier unit at an elevated position rearwardly spaced from the typewriter, means bracing said side members against twisting and lateral deflection and affording auxiliary foot-support for the unit-supporting frame, said means including two diagonal bracing members reaching horizontally and rearwardly from the two side members respectively adjacent the lower portion thereof and meeting at an apex laterally midway of the side members, elements connecting the apex of said bracing members to the rearward end portions of said side members, and a foot-receiving element at said apex having a face coplanar with the foot receiving faces of said side members.

5. An auxiliary frame for supporting a carboncarrier unit of a manifolding typewriter having bottom foot-receiving faces at laterally spaced portions of the typewriter, said frame comprising two side members adapted to extend under the typewriter to engage the foot-receiving faces thereof and having correspondingly arrayed footreceiving faces, said two side members also extending from the typewriter-engageable portions upwardly and rearwardly to engage an element of the carbon-carrier unit at an elevated position rearwardly spaced from the typewriter, two cross members connecting the upper and lower portions respectively of said inclined side members, means bracing said frame against twisting and lateral deflection and affording auxiliary foot-support for the unit-supporting frame, said means including two diagonal bracing members reaching horizontally and rearwardly from the two side members respectively at the juncture thereto of the lower cross member and meeting at an apex midway of the side members, a third bracing member reaching upwardly from the apex of the two bracing members and joining the upper cross member, and a foot-receiving element at said apex having a face substantially coplanar with the foot-receiving faces of said side members.

HARRY C. YAEGER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,668,175 'Stickney May 1, 1928 2,199,535 Beiderbecke May 7, 1940 

